Stupak, a conservative Democrat who has pushed for strong pro-life language in the health care overhaul bill, has already been on a short list of potential Democratic candidates for governor, and said Tuesday night he is “really concerned about where we’re going as a Democratic Party in Michigan.”

Story Continued Below

“I may very well be the strongest candidate because, as you know, I don’t do everything the party tells me to,” he told a clutch of reporters Tuesday evening outside a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus. “So in a way, that works well in a general.”

Stupak will continue testing the waters in coming weeks with exploratory trips to visit Southeastern and western Michigan. But he's still hedging his bets.

“If there’s a heavy duty primary battle, I won’t get into it,” he said. “I can tell you that right now."

But for Democratic leadership, Stupak's departure from the House could be cause for concern. Democrats would have trouble holding on to his first district seat, which includes a conservative northern swath of the Wolverine state and the Upper Peninsula. DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has called Stupak about running for reelection to the House, Stupak said.

Michigan has been hit as hard as any state by the economic crisis. Term limits prevent the current Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm from seeking a third term. Republican Rep. Pete Hoekstra is running for the GOP nomination for governor.

Stupak didn’t offer a timetable for announcing a possible candidacy, but he needs to decide soon if he’s going to raise enough money to be competitive. He said he hopes party leaders coalesce behind one candidate, adding that there are three or four “good, qualified candidates” also thinking about running.